"Foreign powers will continue to attempt to acquire sensitive political, commercial, military and other information" ... ASIO Chief David Irvine. Photo: Phil Carrick

''Foreign powers will continue to attempt to acquire sensitive political, commercial, military and other information from a variety of sources and means,'' he said.

Mr Irvine has been increasingly vocal on the subject of the cyber threat.

The declaration by Mr Irvine also comes as the government releases a public discussion paper designed to inform next year's cyber white paper - Australia's first attempt at an overarching cyber security strategy.

Recent incidents such as the leaking of more than 250,000 classified US diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks and the intrusion into the parliamentary email system - believed to be by Chinese spies - have underscored the threat.

The issue will also be a priority at AUSMIN, an annual strategic conversation between Australia and the US, in San Francisco today (US time).

The Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, and the Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, will spend the day talking to the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the former head of the CIA and now Secretary of Defence, Leon Panetta.